Steemit Engagement Challenge S5-W1|My traditional Wear: The Atoghu traditional attire.

Greetings folks, on the hot news community. It is a pleasure to partake in this challenge. I appreciate the leadership of this amazing community for bringing up such a unique engagement challenge topic. Today, I am privileged to share my native attire known as “atoghu”, from the North West region of Cameroon.

My image edited on Canva.

Native Wears in Cameroon.

Cameroon by its bicultural nature has different traditional wears. These attires are defined by the traditional heritage, religion, and climatic conditions in the different regions. Therefore, what is worn as traditional attire in the Northern part of the country cannot be compared to what is considered traditional attire in the Northwest Region.

For instance, in the Northern part of the country, inhabited by Muslims and with hot climatic conditions, they mostly put on free embroidered colorful robes.

In the coastal regions, the traditional wear is “caba” for women and the “sanja” with a white shirt for men. It is equally free to wear due to the climatic conditions in that part of the country.

Now in the North West part of the country where I come from, our traditional regalia is the “atoghu”. It is made up of a black velvet material embroiled with colorful threads. It is thick due to the cold climatic conditions in this part of the country.

In the past, the dress was mostly used by royal families. Today, the regalia is accessible to everyone irrespective of age, or royal background.

The “atoghu” is used during traditional festivals, traditional marriages, and during funeral celebrations. Today, there is no boundary to where one can put on the regalia.

_{Myself in my traditional regalia during a traditional marriage ceremony.}

_{Bride and groom in their traditional regalia.}

People nowadays wear the atoghu to meetings, church, and during sports competitions such as AFCON and World Cup.

Cost Price of the “Atoghu”.

The prices of the atoghu vary based on the size of the dress or the design. However, I can say that it is expensive because it takes a lot of time to come out with a good atoghu as this ones seen below👇.

_{Beautiful atoghu design for a bride during traditional marriage.}

Notwithstanding, there are some simple designs not too expensive but moderate in price. Like a simple “ndamjighi”. I think among all the designs of the atoghu, ndamjighi is the only design with a moderate price.

The table below represents some of the designs with prices. The estimated prices in Steem are based on current value of Steem.

Different Atoghu designs	Price(FCFA)	STEEM
	150,000	981
	175, 000	1,145
	140,000	916
	45,000	294
	80,000	523
	70,000	458
	90,000	589

What is their Durability?

I think one of the things that make the atoghu the most cherished traditional regalia in Cameroon is because of its durability. The material used to produce the wear is long-lasting.

The atoghu can be passed down from generation to generation. The black velvet material does not fade out. Once you design yours, the only thing that will make you not wear it again is that you have gain weight and it cannot size you again.

Do you think it can be allowed to be worn in other places?

As I earlier said, it was only in the past that the regalia was limited only to royalties and was put on during traditional festivals or marriages.

Today, the regalia has no boundaries as to whether one should wear it or not to particular functions. Modernization has made it possible for those traditional limitations to be broken.

_{In my regalia during my masters degree defense.}

_{In my traditional attire after church service.}

Some artists now wear regalia during concerts. During sports compétions within and out of the country, the atoghu is everywhere so far as Cameroonians are there. The dress has made Cameroonians say “…we are proud of who we are…”.

Are there any similarities between my local wear and other parts of the world?

In Cameroon, the only traditional wear that is similar to others in other parts of the world is the Muslims’ traditional wear. Muslims all over the world have one unique way of dressing and they have similar wear.

Nonetheless, the atoghu is quite different. Even though China has tried several times to reproduce the atoghu but it was far fetched the quality of what we have as atoghu.

The atoghu has no replica all over the world. It is unique and expensive to wear. But the durability of the regalia makes it worth the price.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the atoghu is the traditional wear in Cameroon that originated from the North West region of Cameroon. It is worn throughout the country and has gained international recognition. It is expensive but worth it because its durability is incomparable. I invite @nadiaturrina, @richard-p, and @sureway044, to share with us their traditional regalia.